


"Mon Petit Chou"

by TDKeh16



Series: "Mon Petit Chou" Series [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Boyfriend's shirt, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, One-Shot, Romantic Fluff, Shower Sex, relationship milestones, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-27 15:45:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6290458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDKeh16/pseuds/TDKeh16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bitty visits Jack in Providence for a weekend and wonders what his new French nickname really means...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Mon Petit Chou"

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a fan post about a French nickname Jack might use for Bitty, and it inspired me to write this. It's not the same term as in the post, but I thought this one would work well. This is actually the nickname my dad used to call my mom when they were younger. She didn't appreciate the translation lol. Personally, I think it's the cutest thing. The translation is revealed in the end. You be the judge lol

_Bonne nuit, mon petit chou..._

By the time Bitty woke up the next morning, Jack had already left for practice with the Falconers. He stretched out lazily in the large bed and thought about the night before. It had been so late by the time their marathon session had ended, he could not help but wonder how tired Jack must be at that moment, mid practice. Every muscle in Bitty's body ached in the most wonderful way, but could the same be said for his boyfriend? Well, a professional athlete was surely no stranger to playing through the pain, anyway. 

Bitty grabbed his cell phone and quickly texted Jack as a sudden thought occurred to him. 

Bitty: Did you eat breakfast?

It was nearly 10:30 am, knowing Jack would not see his phone for at least another hour, Bitty crawled out of bed and took a long hot shower. "The scene of the crime..." He mused to himself, once again thinking back to the previous evening when Jack had unexpectedly snuck in to join him.

"Well..." He had to admit that it had not been all that unexpected. He could play coy, but something about the little grin on Jack's lips as they cleaned up after dinner made him think that spilling the cold marinara sauce on Bitty's shirt was not the "accident" the older man would have him believe. 

Would Bitty ever be able to have another shower without revisiting the memories of panting so hard in the steam that he nearly hyperventilated as he came that first time? From the shower they had moved directly to the master bedroom. Jack pulled the blanket over top of them at first, to warm their still soaking wet bodies, but it was not long before the two men shed the covers and their sweat rendered their previous shower all but wasted.

Bitty was not sure what time they had finally finished, but it had been well after 2:00 am the last time he had caught a glimpse of the clock on the nightstand. The last thing he remembered before drifting off to sleep were Jack's long fingers combing back his sweat-soaked blond bangs so that he could place an affectionate kiss against Bitty's temple. He could hear Jack smile in the dark as he whispered against his cheek:

_Bonne nuit, mon petit chou..._

But what did that mean? He was fairly certain "bonne nuit" meant good night, and was all too familiar with the word "petit" at his size. "I'm average height!" Bitty insisted out loud in the empty bedroom, if only to convince himself.

He grabbed his overnight bag but realized that the only clothes he had brought were the ones he planned to wear to the Falconers game that evening, and didn't feel like getting dressed in them just yet. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst idea to keep a few spare shirts at Jack's apartment, especially if a certain Canadian planned to use any other tomato-based liquids to initiate foreplay. Then again... 

Bitty stepped into the walk-in closet and pulled one of Jack's large t-shirts over top his underwear. It was too early for pants. The t-shirt smelled like him and Bitty took a deep breath. Maybe he could bring it home to Samwell. Jack wouldn't really miss one generic black t-shirt, right? 

Wearing only a pair of briefs and his boyfriend's shirt, Bitty went to the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast, and to finish washing the dishes he had been interrupted during the night before. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw the discarded wrapper of a protein bar on the counter. What poor excuse for a meal was that? "This boy..."

His phone vibrated half an hour later accompanied by the special sound he assigned to Jack's messages only: the sound of a chick chirping. His morning practice was over.

Jack: Yeah. I had a protein bar.

Bitty scoffed as he stared at Jack's reply. Instead of texting back, he dialled Jack's number. Before the other man had a chance to say a greeting, Bitty began his teasing. "A protein bar does _not_ a breakfast make, Mr. Zimmermann."

Jack laughed, "I overslept. I was almost late for practice this morning."

Bitty knew that arriving late to practice in the NHL was a big taboo, and made a mental note to ensure the alarm was set properly the next time he visited. Thankfully no harm was done this time, so he continued his chirping. "Oh? And whose fault was that?"

"We're about 50/50 on that, eh Bittle?"

Bitty's face flushed and he switched back to the original topic. "Are you coming home soon? I'm making breakfast."

"I already ate, remember?"

"Jacques Laurent Zimmermann, if you seriously call that breakfast then we might as well break up right now," Bitty laughed.

"I-!" Jack grew quiet as a lot of noise erupted in the background. "I'll be right there."

******

Bitty nervously finished preparing breakfast. His text to Jack assuring he had not been serious about the break up threat had gone unanswered. Why had he gone so quiet? 

The apartment door opened fifteen minutes later, followed by the sound of hastily kicked off shoes. In an instant, Bitty found himself pressed up against the refrigerator, getting kissed. "Jack!" He gasped. "I wasn't being serious..."

"About breakfast?" Jack leaned down to trail kissed along Bitty's neck.

 " _What?_ What on earth-? Mm!" He let out an involuntary sound that was half moan, half whimper. Regaining some composure, Bitty pressed his hands against Jack's broad chest and pushed lightly to put some distance between them. "Slow down, I'm not breaking up with you. We have plenty of time, but your _real_  breakfast is getting cold as we speak."

Jack chuckled and sat down at the table. "Breakfast, eh? It's almost noon. I skipped our team lunch to come home."

"Then call this brunch," Bitty grinned and brought over their plates. 

"So, what's this about breaking up?" Jack asked after a few bites of food.

"It was only a joke. If you think I would break up with you over a protein bar, then bless your little maple-loving heart..." Bitty chuckled with a slow shake of his head.

Jack recognized his boyfriend's overly polite way of calling him an idiot and he laughed loudly. He laughed a lot these days. "I didn't think you were serious, Bittle."

"Then why did you get so quiet and rush over here like something was wrong? You kissed the bejeezus out of me, what if I had dropped your precious syrup?"

"Well _then_  we'd have a real problem," Jack's teasing grin suddenly faltered. "It wasn't that, I just..."

Bitty's bite of pancake stuck in his throat and he took a sip of coffee to help wash it down. "Just what?"

"You have to drive home tonight after the game and we're not going to get much time together. I wanted to make the most of what time we had."

"Why'd you go quiet and hang up on me, then?"

"A few of my teammates were asking me about lunch. I couldn't say what I wanted."

Bitty relaxed and flashed him a cheeky smile. "Oh? What was that?"

"I love you," his words were punctuated by the sound of Bitty's fork falling to his plate. "We get so little time together now, I hate that I wasted so much time before realizing that. We used to live in the same house, now we don't even live in the same state. I was such an idiot..."

"Don't say that," Bitty frowned, he hated it when Jack got so self-deprecating. 

"It's far enough now, but what if I get traded?"

" _Are_  you getting traded?"

"Well _no_ , but-!"

"Then quit your worrying!" Bitty said with a soft sigh, stepping around the table to sit next to Jack. "I'm here now. And we spent lots of time together at Samwell. Maybe not like  _this_ but I reckon I spent more time with you than anyone else," he landed a gentle kiss on Jack's lips.

"All that time..."

"Wasted?"

"All that time, I never would have guessed I'd see the day you were making breakfast in your underwear in my kitchen."

"Excuse me, sir, I am wearing a t-shirt as well."

"My t-shirt."

"Well, _someone_  stained _my_ shirt last night..." Bitty straddled Jack's lap. "Speaking of last night, I never would have dreamed I'd see the day I would do that with _anybody_ , never mind **the**  Jack Zimmermann. I wish I could tell my 16 year old self that it gets so much better."

"So do I, _mon petit chou_..." Jack began kissing him as his hands slid around to the small of Bitty's back.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I never thought I could feel this happy."

"Oh, uh. I-!" Bitty stopped himself mid-correction. It was fine. He could find out the translation later, the more important issue at hand were the words Jack had just said. He made him happy. He made _Jack Zimmermann_ happy. He made Jack Zimmermann happy enough to actually _say_  it! 

"Hm?"

"Nothing," Bitty continued kissing him and his hands fell to Jack's lap, quickly unzipping his pants. "Are you finished with breakfast?"

"I thought you said it was 'brunch'..."

"Quiet, you- ah!" Bitty let out a small shriek and laughed out loud when Jack scooped him up in his large arms. Bitty wrapped his legs tightly around Jacks waist and linked his arms around his neck as he deepened their kiss. "Bedroom?"

"Not here?" Jack asked as he backed them up against the counter.

"In my kitchen? That's not very sanitary, Mr. Zimmermann..."

"Is this _your_ kitchen, _Mr_. Bittle?"

Bitty laughed at the reciprocated name. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Nothing," Jack's hot breath as he whispered in his ear made the hairs on the back of Bitty's neck stand up. "I wouldn't mind sharing a few of these rooms with you... So, bedroom?"

"Uh-huh," Bitty nodded dumbly. Since when did Jack say such smooth lines? It wasn't the first time that weekend that Bitty had been rendered speechless. He began to pull the black shirt over his head, but Jack stopped him. "What?"

"Keep it on. I love seeing you in my clothes."

"Dammit, Jack..." He squeezed his legs a little tighter like a rider encouraging their horse to move faster. It felt like that, in a way. "Bedroom. **_Now_**."

******

Jack nuzzled his head against his boyfriend's neck. "We fell asleep again. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay. You needed to catch up on the sleep you missed last night," he replied as he stroked Jack's soft black hair. "I'm happy to spend our time together like this."

"You're just saying that. What a boring weekend for you, sitting around my apartment waiting for me during practices."

"Not at all!" Bitty pushed himself up on his elbows to hover partly over Jack. He touched their foreheads together. "I love you," a grin crept across his lips, "and last night was _anything_ but boring."

"I'm glad," Jack wrapped his arms around Bitty, pulling him in for a tight hug. " _Je t'aime, mon petit chou..._ "

Bitty kissed just above the hair on Jack's chest. "What does that mean, anyway? You've been calling me that all weekend."

"Just a nickname. You don't like it? I'll stop if you want..."

"I _think_ I like it, but I don't know what it means. Tell me."

"It sort of gets lost in translation. You might not like it," Jack glanced over at the clock on his nightstand. "Fuck! Is that the time? I'm going to run late again!" He bolted out of bed and got dressed.

Bitty sighed happily, appreciating the view. "How is this even my life right now?" He wondered aloud.

"You say something?" Jack looked at Bitty, who simply shook his head 'no'. "I have to get to the rink. Did you want to relax here some more until game time or were you thinking of doing some sightseeing?"

"I'm thinking shower and maybe grab a coffee before the game."

"If you want to go out for the coffee and come back here, make sure to take the key," Jack said as he walked out of the bedroom.

"I can't take your key!" Bitty called after him.

Jack returned with a smile on his face and something shiny in his hand. "It's not _my_ key, it's _your_ key. What do you think?"

"You're giving me a key to your apartment?"

"If you want it..."

"I want it!" Bitty snatched the key eagerly from his boyfriend's hand.

"Now you can come and go as you please without having to wait around for me all the time," Jack looked at his watch. "I really have to go. Come to the locker room after the game."

"Okay," they shared a quick kiss goodbye and Jack was out the door.

******

Bitty was relieved when they finally left the rink. The boys at Samwell could be a lot to handle sometimes, but that was nothing compared to the intimidation of an entire NHL team. They had won their game and everyone was in high spirits, at least.

Bitty had taken a cab to the rink, so he rode back with Jack to his apartment. "What time are you heading back to Samwell?" Jack asked as they reached their destination and stepped out of the car. "I heard it's supposed to snow tonight..."

Bitty smiled and backed his boyfriend up against the hood of the car, standing on his tip toes to kiss him. Jack always worried about him driving home at night, but he especially worried at the thought of the southern boy on snowy roads. "I thought that was what winter tires were for."

"Yeah, but..." Bitty pulled back and walked into the building while Jack followed hopelessly behind him.

"You need to shut that mind of yours off sometimes, baby. You're fixin' to worry yourself into an early grave," he let out a short laugh when Jacks arms wrapped around him from behind as the elevator doors closed. "Is it that you don't trust my car, or that you don't trust my driving?"

"A little of both."

Bitty laughed again when he noticed the reflection of his boyfriend's grin in the door. "You're proud of that one, aren't you? Chirping me again, Captain?"

"I'm not your captain anymore, Bittle."

He felt a twinge of sadness at that thought. "True," Bitty gave his head a small shake to dismiss the nostalgic memories and they broke apart from their embrace as the elevator doors opened onto Jack's floor.

"Well?" Jack stood expectantly when they arrived at his apartment.

"You drove home, your keys are still in your hand!"

"It's not the same."

"Oh, for crying out loud..." Bitty's faked frustration was not fooling anybody. While his hands dug into his pockets, Jack began playfully nudging him to the side against the wall. "Hey! This is no time for checking!" He pushed back with all his might, but Jack braced himself, sending the smaller man bouncing back against the wall again.

"You know..."

"If you're about to suggest protein so help me god..."

Jack laughed and took a step back to give Bitty room to unlock the door. "There isn't much protein in pies, just saying."

"Jack Laurent Zimmermann don't you blaspheme," Bitty gave him an over the shoulder frown as they entered the apartment.

"I beg your forgiveness, _mon petit chou_."

"If you want my forgiveness, you'll tell me what it is you keep callin' me," Bitty countered.

"You want to know that badly, huh?"

"I do! I _almost_  skyped your dad to ask him, but..." He bit his lip when Jack's grin broadened in response. "I was afraid it might be something naughty."

Jack roared with laughter. "Why would you think that?"

"You said I might not like it! I know it's something about being small, so I thought maybe... My butt?"

The room echoed with Jack's laughter once again. "Your butt's not that small anymore," he smacked it playfully on his way to the kitchen. "You've been keeping up those squats with Rans, huh?" He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge for himself and offered a second one to his boyfriend.

"I have!" Bitty followed after him with a spring in his step. "But don't change the subject. What does it mean? Is it even French, or are you literally saying 'shoe?' My feet are a perfectly normal size, I'll have you know."

Jack did a spit-take and coughed into his hand. "Bitty, you can't say stuff like that when I'm drinking," he chuckled. "Besides, I thought you were trying to learn French."

"Well, I don't know that word, obviously!"

"I'll give you a hint: it's something you might find in a kitchen."

"A baker?" 

" _That's_ your first guess? Come on, Bittle."

"Well, it has to do with something about me right?"

Jack shook his head. "Never mind, you're not going to guess it."

"But-!"

"Cabbage."

It took Bitty a minute to register what the older man had said. " _What?_ "

Jack's cheeks flushed slightly. " _Chou_  means 'cabbage'."

"You're calling me cabbage?!"

"Well, _mon petit chou_  is literally 'my little cabbage'," his blush darkened. "I told you it gets lost in the translation."

"Why cabbage?"

"I don't know, it's just the phrase. I didn't invent it."

"So... I'm your little cabbage? That's..."

"Never mind. It's stupid. I won't say it anymore," Jack was flustered and retreated to the living room to regain his composure. He lied down on the couch and covered his face with both hands.

"Baby..." Bitty followed after him with a sympathetic smile. He climbed on top of Jack and stretched out his body so that his chin was on Jack's chest. "I love it."

Jack lifted his hands from his face and ran one through Bitty's blond hair. "You're just saying that."

"I'm not. I think it's adorable."

"You don't-!"

Bitty silenced him with a quick kiss. "Are you calling me a liar, sir?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"Good boy," he shifted his body so that he parted Jack's legs, causing him to let out a small groan. Bitty grinned. "Say it again."

" _Mon petit chou_. You really like it?"

"It's almost as adorable as you are."

"Well, now I _know_ you're lying. Ah!" Jack's breath caught in his throat as he felt Bitty press against his thigh. "Bitty..."

"So cute," the younger man whispered as he began kissing up Jack's neck. "What time does your flight to Tampa leave tomorrow?"

"8:30 am."

"I was thinking I could stay one more night and drive out in the morning. What do you think?"

"Well, you _do_  have that key now..."

"So... Bedroom?"

"Mm-hmm."

******

Jack returned from his road trip three days later to find a note waiting for him on the kitchen counter.

_I made you a little something to remember me by. It's in the fridge.  
\- ERB  <3_

Jack opened the refrigerator door and smiled when he saw the container of cabbage soup waiting for him. He poured a serving and eagerly took his first bite. It was delicious, of course, like everything Bitty made. It was already past 3:00 am, but he pulled out his phone to snap a picture of it and send it to Bitty.

Jack: I love it. Hope I'm not waking you. I have a few days off at the end of the month, maybe I can make it to the Haus for American thanksgiving. Bonne nuit, mon petit chou.

He had barely set down his phone before it buzzed with a reply.

***The End***

(Epilogue to Follow)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I might do an epilogue of the texts exchanged after this "ends". What do you think?
> 
> This is the first fanfic I have written in at least 12 years. (Also probably the shortest thing I have ever written lol) "Check, Please!" has been such fun writing inspiration. Such loveable characters!


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened after Jack texted Bitty? 
> 
> ... Jack sucks at technology.

Bitty woke in the middle of the night to the sound of a baby chick chirping. Jack's flight must have landed in Rhode Island. He smiled as he read Jack's message and promptly replied.

Bitty: I'm awake.  
Bitty: Guess what I'm wearing?  
Jack: My shirt?  
Bitty: For now... ;)

He was angling his phone to get a good selfie wearing only his boyfriend's shirt, when it suddenly buzzed. It didn't _chirp_ \-- it  **buzzed**. "Oh no..." His suspicions were quickly confirmed. Jack had written to him in the group text, not privately. The phone in his hand buzzed again and again in a steady stream. He could hear muffled talking in the attic above him. "Oh no, no, no..." He made sure to write his next message directly to Jack.

Bitty: That was the GROUP TEXT????  
Jack: Sorry! I didn't notice. There was a toddler crying for the entire flight I'm so tired. You were the last person to write there so I just saw your name and sent it.  
Bitty: I can hear Rans and Holster talking upstairs...  
Jack: What are they saying? I'm afraid to check the group text now.  
Bitty: Me too.   
Jack: I'm really sorry.  
Bitty: It's my fault. Your message was innocent. I'm the one who went on about wearing things. Ugh.

His phone buzzed a few more times and Bitty took a deep breath to brace himself for the messages. How was he going to dig himself and Jack out of this one? Thankfully, none of the boys knew French as far as he knew.

Holster: JACK!!!!  
Ransom: You think you can make it, bro??  
Lardo: Jaaack!!!!!!!  
Holster: As if you just dropped "American" before thanksgiving and expect me to ignore it. It's REAL thanksgiving. Not that weird Canadian copy shit a month early.  
Ransom: Better than celebrating a fucking genocidal invader like Columbus Day. Got your back, Jack. Canadians unite!  
Shitty: Jack, you fucker! If you're going for Hausgiving so am I!  
Ransom: #Hausgiving!  
Holster: Don't get me started on Columbus Day. That shits messed up. But why a month early? October is for Halloween. November is thanksgiving.  
Chowder: Hi Jack!!!! :D Good game today!  
Ransom: November is for Remembrance Day!!  
Lardo: What??  
Ransom: Fuck! VETERANS day here! Ugh. Jack help me out here bro! JACK!!!!

Bitty breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed their friends got too distracted by thanksgiving and other holidays and missed his comments about wearing Jack's t-shirt. The talking upstairs must have been their Columbus Day discussion. His relief was short lived.

Holster: Wait. Hold up. Everybody scroll up for a sec. Wtf!  
Ransom: BITS!!!!!  
Lardo: Bitty?????!!!1!!1!!!!!111  
Ransom: WTF Bits! Are you wheeling Zimmermann?????  
Lardo: Jack!!!!  
Shitty: Jack! Skype. Deets. Now.   
Shitty: Sneaky son of a bitch!  
Shitty: You can't ignore me you beautiful fucker! Skype now!  
Shitty: Jack Laurent Fucking Zimmermann get off your impossibly gorgeous ass and answer your phone!!!!!  
Chowder: Hi Shitty!  
Lardo: What was that French part?  
Ransom: He said good night and something about being little. Haven't taken French since grade 8. Sorry. Gonna hit up google translate.  
Ransom: All I'm getting is "cabbage" that can't be right.  
Holster: Bitty we need answers!  
Ransom: We're coming down to see you.  
Bitty: Please don't!

He heard the shuffling of feet and excited laughter as his captains clamoured down the stairs. Bitty looked desperately to his bedroom door. Did he have enough time to lock it? Too late. He grabbed his blanket and pulled it up around the lower half of his body to cover the fact that he was not currently wearing underwear. Jack's shirt was long on him, but Bitty was not confident in its ability to hide everything he needed it to.

"BITS!!!" He suddenly found himself crushed under the weight of two giant defensemen.

"Y'all get off of me right now!" Bitty scolded with what little air he had in his lungs.

"Holy shit. You really are wearing Jack's shirt," Holster noticed as he sat back.

"So, like... What? Since when? The weekend?"

Bitty gulped. "Um, since... Jack's graduation?" He admitted meekly.

"Since **_May_** , Bitty?! That's almost  _six fucking months!_ "

"I know! I'm sorry," he started. Their six-month anniversary was a week away, but since Jack would be gone on a long road trip during that time, they had made sure to celebrate that past weekend when they could.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why didn't you tell us _immediately?_ " Ransom added for emphasis.

"Yeah. Don't you trust us? _Bits.._."

"I _do_ , but-!" Bitty paused as Lardo came into the room as well. "It's not that I care that _you_ know, but what if a tadpole overhears something? Or someone in the dining hall? Or someone on another team? What if it accidentally slips out when someone is home for the holidays with their family or high school friends and spreads from there? Jack's already been through so much to get to this point and he's _finally_  in the NHL... I don't want to say or do anything that might screw that up for him..." He sniffled.

"We're not gonna let that happen, buddy. Promise," Ransom wrapped an arm around Bitty's shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.

"Yeah. We've got your back, bro. _And_ Jack's," Holster added.

"Definitely," Lardo sat down cross-legged on the bed with them. "Is that really Jack's shirt?" She asked when she noticed Bitty was uncharacteristically dressed in black.

"Yes," Bitty wiped a tear from his eye and smiled. He was lucky to have such supportive friends around him.

"And last month when we all drove to Providence to watch the Falconer's home opener and then crashed at Jack's apartment for the night scattered between the guest bedroom and the living room couches..." Ransom looked over at Holster to see if he knew where he was going with this.

"Oh my god. Jack said I couldn't sleep in his bed because I was 'too big and it would be crowded, but Bittle can crash there if he wants.' I believe were his exact words," Holster looked at Bitty. "You sneaky little bastards!"

"How did we not notice it sooner?"

"You'd think we would have at least heard something that gave us a hint."

"Well _obviously_ we were quiet..."

"What?!" His three friends erupted in laughter. That was not what Ransom had meant by 'hearing' a hint.

"You guys banged while we were all there?" Lardo guffawed and yanked at his blanket.

" ** _Ahh!_ ** Don't do that!!!" Bitty gripped the blanket tighter than he had anything in his entire life. "I'm not wearing any bottoms!"

"We've all seen your underwear before, Bits. Relax," Ransom chuckled. "Wait..." He saw Bitty's face turn red. "... You're not wearing _anything_ under that shirt, are you?"

"Uh, _well_..."

"What were you about to do, Bits?!" Holster messed up his hair. "Bitty was gonna sext the group text!"

"Who even _are_  you anymore? Our baby Bitty is all grown up!"

"Bro?"

"Bro!"

Lardo gave a sympathetic smile to her friend. "Want me to grab you some pants, Bits?"

"Yes ma'am," he sighed.

"Hey!! What's everybody talking about in here?" Chowder walked in with a smile.

"Adult conversations!"

"Avert your innocent eyes and ears!"

"Huh???"

"Go back to bed," Lardo instructed their youngest teammate as she tossed a pair of sweatpants to Bitty. "Everyone go to bed, there's practice in the morning. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Bitty discreetly slipped on his pants underneath the covers while everyone was distracted. This was way too much excitement for the middle of the night. Or, at least, not the kind of excitement he had been anticipating when he first received Jack's text. Still, he'd had worse experiences at 4:00 am before, checking practice came to mind. Though maybe those were not _all_ bad.

"Goodnight, y'all. Um, thank you... For everything," he chewed his bottom lip.

"We got your back, Bitty. _Always_."

Bitty's phone chirped again a few minutes after his friends had cleared the room.

Jack: I just finished skyping Shitty.   
Jack: I haven't slept in 22 hours and that game today was really physical. I'm so tired. He broke me.   
Jack: I told him everything, sorry.  
Bitty: It's fine, baby. I just talked to Rans, Holtzy, and Lardo. Will talk to Chowder tomorrow too. I think it's going to be okay.  
Jack: Yeah, me too.  
Bitty: You should get some sleep soon. Good game today. Great goal.  
Jack: Thanks. Je t'aime.  
Bitty: I love you too <3  
Bitty: I cant wait for thanksgiving. I hope you can come.  
Jack: Me too, mon petit chou.  
Holster: Uh guys? Group text again.  
Lardo: Lol!  
Bitty: DAMMIT JACK!!! Learn to use your phone!  
Ransom: You're REALLY bad at this.  
Shitty: Just look at the recipients listed, Jesus!  
Lardo: How have you survived for 25 years on this planet?  
Jack: Sorry. I can't believe I did it again...  
Ransom: ROFLMAO!

Bitty could hear cackling laughter coming from his senior Hausmates followed by a thud in the attic and realized that Ransom had literally collapsed with laughter. How had the secret they had kept hidden for the past six months unravelled so spectacularly in the span of only an hour?

Bitty: Y'ALL GO TO BED!!!!  
Jack: Sorry Bittle. Have a good sleep. Love you.  
Bitty: Group text! HOW ARE YOU STILL NOT GETTING THIS???

***End of Epilogue***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the non-Canadians out there who might not know, we celebrate thanksgiving in October at the same time as the US has Columbus Day. That's why Rans and Holster get into that debate.  
> Jack sucks at technology lol
> 
> I think I might write a follow-up to this story that takes place when Jack visits for Hausgiving.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote a sequel called "Hausgiving 2.0" when Jack visits Samwell for a couple of days. It starts off a little racy and then settles into more hijinks/emotions/fluff. Will Jack learn how to use his phone properly? No. No he won't.


End file.
